


Saint of all Saints

by Kingofthenerdz



Series: Now and Then [5]
Category: Saints Row
Genre: Mild Gore, Multi, Recreational Drug Use
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-28
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-08-18 10:04:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,938
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8158267
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kingofthenerdz/pseuds/Kingofthenerdz
Summary: Amethyst was sixteen years old when she ran away from home. On the outside, she looked like a spoiled, pampered princess. But when her parents are murdered, she has to run away from home and into the Row.





	1. Chapter One

Being home schooled sucked. Her parents didn’t care enough to have gotten her a good teacher, so she was left with this strange alternative woman who believed that learning came from experiences and not sitting doing sums or whatever it is they do in real schools. Putting the bow down, Amethyst stretched out her arm. She’d been shooting arrows at targets all afternoon, with the promise that if she did really well, they’d head out to the hills in the morning to shoot some deer or something. So naturally, Am had been missing every single shot on purpose. As weird as it sounded for someone of her age, all she wanted to do was sit in a classroom and learn something boring for once. She had such a weird skill-set because of this woman; she had no idea how she’d survive in the real world. Throwing the bow down on the floor, she ignored the protests of the instructor and stormed out of the building. She was done with this.

“Mon dieu, is there no escaping this woman?” She asked herself as Ms Powers let herself out of the town car her father had given her as payment for her services. Looking at her, Ms Powers looked almost exactly the definition of a crazy cat lady. She’d clearly given up on caring about her looks around forty years ago if her crazy mane of grey hair was anything to go by. Her long skirts were some of the ugliest pieces of fashion that had ever entered the household, and that was saying something considering her mother’s history with terrible couture.

“En Español hoy por favor” The older woman chided, wagging her finger at her. Am considered cursing her out in several different languages, but thought better of it. She’d just make her life hell tomorrow and take her out into the countryside despite failing to prove she could actually shoot the damn bow. 

“I’d rather speak in English now the day is over.”

“Did you not enjoy the lesson?” _Enule_ She thought to herself as Ms Powers opened the car door.

 “Of course, Ms Powers. I’m just tired from my lessons. Can we please go home now?" She smiled as sweetly as she could muster as she was ushered into the car, pretending not to notice the way Ms Powers double-checked the area before following her. It was the same any time they went out into Stilwater together. She had some idea what her father did for a living, even though he tried to keep it from her. She knew he worked with the gangs, and she knew he made a lot of money doing it. She didn’t doubt that Ms Powers had a gun in her purse, curtesy of her father.

The only good part of her day was the fact that she was about to seriously wind him up. Dating older drove him wild, dating women made him even madder, but dating someone with gang colours? That made him seethe like nothing else could. Lately, it was the only way of getting any kind of conversation out of him. She’d gotten a belly ring and he’d barely flinched, so it had snowballed from there into a game of what could drive him up the wall the best. Messing with gang members was making him angrier than she could’ve ever hoped for.

Tyler’s car came to a screeching halt at the bottom of the drive, making her look up from her book. The gaudy yellow of the vehicle was already making the neighbours twitch their curtains, and she could imagine her father stood in his office watching this guy climb out of the driver’s seat. It wasn’t like she’d be seeing him for much longer after tonight. They’d already been together a week and the game she was playing with her father was getting staler the longer this “relationship” continued. Closing the book and throwing it down, she checked that she’d put her fake id in her purse before pulling off her jumper. Another way to piss her father off was the way she dressed, and she made sure that she was showing as much skin as possible before practically skipping her way to the door.

Her father was coming down the stairs as she headed outside, frowning down at her. She turned for a moment, daring him to say something, but he just shook his head and ignored her. She hadn’t done enough tonight to wind him up, and she was wishing she’d picked the other top. It was the middle of winter, and she could feel the temperature rapidly dropping as the evening drew closer. She wouldn’t be surprised if it snowed for the first time that year.

Slamming the door behind her so her parents would both definitely hear her leave, she stormed over to Tyler’s car, wrapping her arms around his neck. He attacked her lips with far too much force, one of his hands grabbing her ass and pulling her up to him. When he finally pulled away, he smirked.

“Babe, you’ll never guess where we’re going tonight.” He opened the door for her, more out of obligation than him actually wanting to be a gentleman. She slid into the passenger seat and looked up at him through the open window.

“It better be good.” She played with his shirt as she spoke, smiling coyly. Tyler liked street racing, so she had already assumed that he’d be taking her to one from the choice of car alone.

“Some people heard of a race going on tonight down in Chinatown. They say that it’s gonna be huge.” She let go of his shirt as he pulled away. Races were probably a lot more fun if you were driving in them, and seeing as she never knew anyone when she was left waiting for them to finish, she always found herself alone during them.

 

-

 

Getting out of the car, Tyler handed her a cigarette. There was a pretty big crowd tonight, and she figured this was probably the last race before the weather got too dangerous to put the event on. For people who spent all their time shooting at each other, they took their racing very seriously. They weren’t representing their gangs here, they were here as individuals, all focused on their cars and what they could do. There were strict rules on picking fights, and for tonight, this car park would be the only safe area in Stilwater. She hopped up on the hood as she scanned the area. She recognised a couple of the racers from the other times she’d been brought along to these events, and she watched Tyler walk towards the main group as she lit the cigarette in her hand. Tucking her curls behind her ear, she cursed the strands of blonde hair that were falling into her face. She wished that she’d tied it up before she’d come out, the bitter wind blowing her hair into her eyes. The cigarette went out and she reached for her lighter once again.

From her position on the hood of the car, she could hear the conversation between the couple in the next spot over.

“Where’s Johnny?”

“Fuck if I know, Dex. Like I keep tabs on him.” The woman took a drag of her cigarette and turned to the man next to her. “He’s a big boy, he can take care of himself.”

“Do you know the shit Julius is having him-“ The woman shushed him with a sudden wave of her hand.

“Are you fucking- Not. Here.” Am risked another glance over her shoulder at the pair, and the woman was scowling at the man. The man was fidgeting like he wanted to say something else, but he seemed to know that she wouldn’t be saying any more on the toipc.

“It’s your funeral, Lin.” He said eventually, slamming the door closed as he got out of the car.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” The man, Dex, looked around towards Am and she turned her head away from the pair, taking a drag off of her own cigarette, pretending that she wasn’t listening. She heard another door open, and the woman stepped out, following the man. She shrugged on a jacket as she made her way over to him, and he shuffled his feet, avoiding eye contact with her.

“If you guys want to fuck around with the Saints then-“ He mumbled at the floor, but she shushed him again.

“Are you seriously trying to get us both fucking killed?” The Saints? What the hell was that? She thought to herself. She finished the cigarette and threw the end onto the floor. Lin was looking around, but it was only them and Am even close to the cars. Everyone else was too busy placing bets and drinking beer at the other end of the car park.

“I know they want to clean up the Row, but you’re not even-“

“Dex, shut the fuck up.” Lin opened the boot and pulled out a bag, throwing it at him and Am could see Tyler heading back over to her. Dex made a frustrated noise and walked toward the main group with the bag. Am hopped off the hood just as Tyler opened the door, ready to start the race.

 

-

 

“I can’t believe you got your ass handed to you by that girl!” Someone shouted and Tyler growled again. He wouldn’t hear the end of this for a long time. Am took a sip of the drink that was pressed into her hands and leaned into Tyler’s side. He hadn’t even come close to that woman; Lin. She’d left them all in the dust, and Tyler had lost a lot of money that night. She kissed his cheek.

“Don’t worry babe, there’s always next time.” She whispered into his ear and he pushed her off of him. She shrugged and stood, unfazed by his behaviour. This wasn’t the first time a guy had treated her like this, and it wouldn’t be the last. Leaving him there to sulk, she made her way into the kitchen.

The house they were using for this party was clearly a safe house and not used to live in. The place was run down and desperately needed redecorating. The fridge door was almost hanging off, and she wondered why they had even bothered using it in the first place. Looking through the bottles that had been left out, she took a swig out of one, shrugging off the bitter taste and mixing up a drink with it.

 “You ever bring your own booze to these things, or do you just bum off everyone else?” A voice said from behind her. The voice was familiar, but she couldn’t place it. She had a feeling that she’d met the guy before at a party, but couldn’t remember his name.

“My ID is good, but not that good.” She turned to face him and he stepped toward her.

“How old _are_ you?” He asked, and now she remembered who he was. They’d fucked a few months ago. She still didn’t know his name though.

“Does it matter?” She asked, and he looked her up and down. Her age never mattered to any of them. She figured they knew that she was underage, but if they never talked about it, then they weren’t doing anything wrong. He stepped toward her, pushing her into the counter. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a little bag filled with pills. She smiled and reached for her purse, slipping out a twenty and pressing it into his other hand. He tipped out two pills and offered her one. Swallowing it with a swig of her drink, she watched as he did the same. For a few moments, they just looked at each other. Then he grabbed her waist, trapping her against the counter.

 “Tyler’s gonna be pissed…” She whispered and he just nudged her legs apart with his knee, kissing her roughly.

 

-

 

She woke up to gunshots. Not that that wasn’t normal to hear in Stilwater, but it was uncommon in this neighbourhood. Reaching out in the darkness, she tried to find Tyler, but he wasn’t in the bed. Her head was much clearer than it had been when she’d passed out with him, and she could remember him driving her home, so that meant that that guy had sold her shitty drugs.

Slipping out of bed, she grabbed her dressing gown and tied it around herself as she crept to her bedroom door. It was ajar, and she could hear voices coming from downstairs. She could make out Tyler’s voice, but she couldn’t quite hear what he was saying from her position behind the door. She had a horrible feeling that something was wrong. Why were there men in her house, and why had she heard gunshots?

Her blood ran cold as she stepped out of her bedroom, as quietly as she possibly could.

As she approached her parent’s room, her heart was beating a million miles an hour. She could hear a commotion downstairs and the voices got louder, which made her press against the wall, hoping that whoever was down there wouldn’t see her. Opening the door, she peered into the room, able to make out the shapes of her parents in the bed. There was no sound from their bed, and she froze in her tracks.

Her father snored. Comically loud. She could hear it from the other side of the house at night, and that’s how she knew that he’d come home when he went to do his work in the middle of the night.

But there was silence.

She rushed over to the bed, but it was too late. The blood was already soaking into the bed sheets, staining the pillows a deep red colour.

She stepped back, horrified. They were dead, she could see that much. The door opened behind her and she could hear footsteps. Arms slid around her waist, and Tyler tried to turn her around to face him. She looked up into his face, but she couldn’t read the emotion in his eyes. She was still in shock, having to remind herself where she was and what was happening.

“Babe, come with me.” He tugged her arm, trying to pull her to the door. She was still rooted to the floor, unable to move. “I’ll protect you, babe. Just come with me.”

She saw red. How dare they do this? How dare they come into her house and kill her parents? She might not like them, but they didn’t deserve to be murdered in their sleep. Tyler was stood in front of her, still waiting for her answer, and that made her even more angry.

She didn’t realise her hands had wrapped around his neck until he started clawing at her, trying to escape her grasp. 

Adrenaline was coursing through her body, giving her strength that she didn’t even know she had. She jerked his head, something she’d only ever seen in the movies and a sickening crack echoed through the room, surprising her.

He shuddered and fell to the floor with a loud thud as she let his body go. Stepping back, she stared at Tyler, trying to catch her breath. He was dead. She had killed him.

Voices snapped her out of her shock, and she remembered that there were still people downstairs. Glancing down at his body, she reached down for the gun attached to his belt. She’d used one before, but never at actual living targets.

She’d made up her mind as she decended the stairs. These guys needed to die for what they had done. She didn’t even know why they were in her house. Her best guess would be something to do with the collection of expensive art that her father kept. It had been pretty obvious that she had money, so of course they would want to rob her.

There was one guy in the hall, and she shot without thinking. The bullet ripped through the front of his chest as he gurgled, choking on his own blood. He dropped to his knees, coughing. A sick, wet sound came out of his mouth as blood dripped onto the carpet, staining it a deep, dark red.

“Did you hear that?” A voice asked, and she heard footsteps approaching her. She shot again, almost blindly as a figure appeared from the kitchen. He stumbled backwards at the force of the bullet as it hit his shoulder. She backed off, emptying the gun into his chest. He fell, just like the last two had. Two more guys came out of the kitchen, and she quickly grabbed the guy’s gun, hiding behind a cabinet. They had seen her though, and had obviously noticed the bodies. She peeked out and quickly shot another round, hitting one of the two men between the eyes. She closed her eyes and darted to the other side of the room, trying not to look at the way his skull exploded against the white walls of her living room. The last guy tried to grab her, forgetting that he had a gun on him. She ducked under his arm, and quickly turned around, shooting him in the back. He went down, and she shot him again to be sure that he was dead.

Falling to her knees, she took a shaky breath and counted to sixty. The men had all gone silent, and she slowly looked up at them.

The strange thing about the bodies was the stillness of them. She hadn’t expected them to be so _still_. She didn’t even feel bad about killing them. She felt a lot calmer than she had expected while she was actually doing it. In the movies people always made a huge fuss about killing a person, but she felt… Good. Better than a person who had just seen the dead bodies of their parents was probably supposed to feel.

Then she panicked. Someone will have heard the gunshots, and she wouldn’t be surprised if the cops showed up soon. Running up the stairs, she threw on some clothes. Grabbing a bag she started frantically packing. Throwing as many jeans and hoodies in her bag as possible, she freed Tyler of his wallet and threw that into her bag. Picking up her backpack, she remembered the safe in the other room. Rushing into the office, she wrenched the door open, emptying the money into the bag in her hands. She could hear sirens in the distance, and froze in her tracks. She needed to hurry up before they got here. Stilwater might’ve had a corrupt police department and everybody knew that, but she doubted that there was much they could do for someone who had just murdered five people. 

Practically jumping down the stairs, she ran back into the kitchen, taking the weapons and ammo from the corpses of the Vice Kings. She could see blue lights approaching the house, and her hand was trembling as she zipped up the backpack. She’d have to go out the back. Deciding to take their wallets for good measure, she stuffed them into her pockets and quietly slipped out of the backdoor.

The fence backed onto a field of overgrown bushes, and the police only seemed to be at the front of the house for now. She scrambled over the fence, ducking below the brush to be sure that she hadn’t been seen. 

Peeking out over the branches, she watched as a police officer approached the house. She took that as her cue to leave. 

She ran off into the night, never looking back.


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months have passed since Amethyst ran away from home. Two months has opened a whole new set of problems for her to face.

The money lasted until February. Most of it had gone on the shitty apartment and the landlord’s silence, and now she was struggling to make ends meet. No one would hire her because she didn’t have any ID or money to offer them for their silence, and her landlord was definitely getting suspicious. Cutting all her hair off and dying it darker had distanced herself from her old life, but opened up a whole new set of problems. She was in the most dangerous part of town, and she couldn’t go out at night without being worried about getting caught up in some kind of fight.

 

Tensions were bubbling up and things were going to get bad soon. She’d been so sheltered from it on the other side of the river, but down here everybody was on edge. No one dared look at another person as they passed them by on the street. She’d taken to carrying one of the stolen guns around with her wherever she went. She didn’t want to have to use it again, but if all out gang war broke out across the city, she dreaded to think about what would happen to her. She’d never seen a single police officer bother to come near the Row without an emergency in the two months she’d been living here, and she doubted that was a new development. Even when she did see police officers at crime scenes, she would watch as they didn’t even take notes. They didn’t care about the people down here, and the people of the area were just as hateful of them. They didn’t want to involve them, but they’d rather the police move the dead bodies than have to do it themselves.

 

Pulling her hoodie tighter around herself, she was thankful that spring was coming soon. The winter months had been some of the coldest on record, and she felt every moment of it. The apartment she had been renting had been drafty as hell, and she wouldn’t have been surprised if it had been colder than outside at some points. The sun had set already, and she was hurrying back to the apartment. There were too many people around wearing gang colours for her liking, and she could see the rest of the people on the street starting to back away from the men who were looking at the tag on the wall. Yellow caught her eye, and she crossed the road to keep away from them. She didn’t recognise any of the figures stood there, but she could never be too careful. The men were too busy focused on the graffiti to notice her, and she kept her head down as she walked.

 

Ignoring the man shouting about watches to her side, she dodged a woman who had reached out to stroke her arm. While it had been months since she’d last had sex, she wasn’t about to pay someone off the street. She hadn’t gotten that desperate yet. Raised voices from across the street caught her attention and she froze as a group of blue dressed men began hitting the Vice Kings. One of the members of the Rollerz ran across the road toward her and the woman stood next to her screamed, holding her hands up, equally as frozen in place. She heard a car tyre’s squealing to a stop further up from where she was stood, and a group of Carnales members leaned over the side of the vehicle, saying something that she couldn’t quite catch. When they pointed their guns, she jumped back into the doorway behind her, trying to make herself as small as possible. As they shot at each other, she took the opportunity to run, but she could hear the car coming towards her. With her heart beating a million times a minute, she turned just as it was inches from her. Somehow she managed to throw herself out of the path of the car, going over on her ankle as she landed. Groaning in pain, she tried to drag herself up as someone approached the wreckage. She watched as he shot at one of the men on the floor, and she couldn’t find her voice to warn him that someone else was coming up behind him.

 

The man in yellow shot without flinching and didn’t spare a second glance to the man who dropped to the floor.

“Wrong time, wrong place, dawg.” He said, pointing the gun at her. She closed her eyes and waited for death. She heard the gun go off, but felt nothing.

 

Opening her eyes again, she blinked a few times as a man came into focus. He was taller than her, and flanked by another man who was looking around, as if he was worried that the fight wasn’t over yet. She noticed the slight shake of his hand as he brought his cigarette to his lips, and watched as his eyes were focused on the man who had saved her life.

 

“You okay, playa?” He asked, his deep voice bringing her focus back to him. She nodded, and he reached his hand out for her to take.

“Julius, we need to move!” The other man said, pointing at the burning wreckage of the car. Julius pulled her to her feet, and her ankle buckled underneath her. She hadn’t noticed the pain until she tried to put her weight onto it, and she felt Julius wrap an arm around her for support. Hobbling quickly away from the wreckage, she heard the car explode behind her, the heat coming from it singeing their backs as they made their way away from the bodies that littered the ground. Once they had rounded the corner, they stopped. The street was empty, people still hiding away after the fight and Julius helped her sit on a doorstep.

 

She let out a breath as she looked between the two men. Pulling her hoodie around herself again, she couldn’t find the words to thank them for saving her life. She stretched her leg out, testing her ankle. She’d only rolled it- it didn’t feel broken.

 

“That don’t look too bad, you’ll be fine. That’s Troy. You can thank him later.” Julius nodded at the other man, who was still on edge. Troy was holding his gun up, watching the street for anyone approaching them.

“Hey.” Troy lowered his gun, nodding his head in greeting at her. Julius knelt beside her, considering her. She couldn’t hold his gaze, his dark eyes making her feel uncomfortable. She ducked her head, looking away from the two of them.

 

“The Row ain’t safe no more, son. We’ve got gangs fighting over shit that ain’t theirs and you’re in their way. They don’t care if you representing or not.”

 

She looked up at him, confused. Was he trying to recruit her into something? Why had he called her son? She realised that they thought she was a guy. Looking back up at them with her eyebrows furrowed, she watched Troy bounce nervously as he spoke.

 

“Julius. This is no time to recruit.” Troy peered over Julius’ shoulder, clearly unimpressed by the sight of her. If she could find her voice, she would’ve quipped something back at him, but she still couldn’t speak. She’d struggled since that night she ran away from home. Julius turned to Troy, a frown appearing on his face.

 

“We need all the help we can get, son.” Troy began to bounce again, still looking around. Now the gunshots had stopped, people had begun to appear again, and there were sirens in the distance. Someone had probably called the cops because of the explosion, and Am knew that they needed to move soon.

 

“No, we need to get our asses outta here.” Troy waved his hand to emphasise his point, and Julius looked down the street.

 

“In a minute!” He snapped at Troy, before turning back to Am. “Look, the Row’s got a problem. Come to the church when you want to be part of the solution.”

 

He stood and nodded at Troy before striding off. Troy took one more look down at Am and followed Julius, pocketing his gun.

 

Dragging herself up off the floor, Am hobbled the opposite way down the street. The sirens were getting closer now, and she needed to be out of there before they arrived. She had no intention of being caught at another crime scene and having to answer questions about what had happened. Fishing her key out of her pocket, she pretty much sprinted the rest of the way home, flinching at the pain shooting up her leg.

 

Julius had obviously meant the church in the Row when he asked her to go. But was she ready for that? Troy had talked about recruitment, so was this Julius setting up a new gang to fight the ones that already had hold over Stilwater? She agreed with him that things were bad, but she didn’t know if she could. What if she was recognised? What if they realised she was a girl and threw her out?

 

But she needed the money that doing something like this would bring in, and while she was reluctant to consider the things she might be asked to do, it was a very tempting offer.

 

Peeling off her hoodie, she looked at herself in the mirror. With her hair cut short like this, she was almost unrecognisable. Trying to shake off the ringing in her ears, she turned on the shower. The water ran cold and she jumped in, not bothering to wait for it to heat up. It would only ever get lukewarm anyway; there was no point in hoping that she’d get a hot shower out of it.

 

The adrenaline had worn off now, and she was exhausted. Reaching for the shampoo, it hit her just how calm she was. She shouldn’t be this calm for someone who had nearly died. Holding her head under the water she sighed as the cold water cascaded down her back. She thought back to the things she’d been hearing during her time in the Row. There were rumours of another gang, one sporting purple. People were upset with the way things were and they wanted to change the way Stilwater was run. She’d noticed fewer guys in yellow walking around the area in the past few weeks compared to when she had moved in, but she usually kept her head down anyway when she ventured out of the apartment.

 

Turning off the water, she made up her mind. She needed a way to make some money, and while she didn’t exactly want to get caught up in the gang scene again, she couldn’t starve to death in her freezing apartment. Reaching out, she grabbed a towel. She wasn’t scared of what she might have to do, but she was scared that someone would recognise her from her old life. She had made peace with what she had done not long after coming here, but she knew that there were people out there who might figure out that it was something to do with her. And they would be calling for blood the minute they realised who she was. She had to put her needs ahead of her fear.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Am goes down to the church, unsure of what is going to happen next. Before she can continue, there's something Julius needs to know.

The next morning, she was thankful for the warming weather as she dressed herself. She didn’t regret making the decision to go down to the church today, but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t nervous. The couple of blocks between her apartment and the church passed quicker than she expected, and she pulled her hoodie tighter around herself, trying to go unnoticed as she walked.

 

Julius was speaking by the time she arrived at the church. She didn’t move up to the front, instead choosing to hide at the back of the graveyard. He was saying something about taking back the Row, and Am looked at the patchy grass underneath her feet. It was yellowing, like no one had bothered to take care of it properly in years. Then again, no one had bothered to take care of this part of town in years. The church was falling to pieces, and she could see why Julius picked it for his base of operations. If Am wasn’t desperate, there was no way that she would go near the place. It was covered in graffiti declaring it as property of the Saints, the ivy torn down in places to make space for the intricate designs. She could see where the roof had come away, and the broken tiles were scattered around, almost turned to dust from age.

 

She glanced up at the men on the steps. Julius and Troy were stood next to a guy she thought that she’d seen before. Furrowing her brow she tried to place him. He caught her gaze and she looked back away, still trying to figure out how she knew him. Her heart beat a little faster in fear as she tried to go through the faces of the Vice Kings she used to know, but something told her that she hadn’t met him in that context.

 

She felt another pair of eyes on her, and she looked up to see a man with glasses staring her down. His bleached tips stuck out in the frosty morning air and she couldn’t help but think about how ridiculous he looked. She felt his gaze through the sunglasses he wore, and she realised he was addressing her.

 

“Who the fuck’s this guy?” His voice rang out, and the rest of the group turned to look at her. That was exactly what she didn’t want. She didn’t want them to be looking at her, sizing her up as if she were a new toy.

 

“Troy and I found him. We’re gonna see if he can run with us.” She heard Julius from the steps, Troy shuffling his feet next to him. Troy looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here. She didn’t know why he looked so uncomfortable, especially when he was clearly high up in the ranks. He slid a cigarette packet out of his pocket, taking his time in lighting it and lifting it up to his lips. The other man was considering her, his head cocked to the side. He clearly didn’t think much of her already, and that made her blood boil.

 

“Julius if he wants to run with the Saints, he’s gotta be canonised.” The man with the sunglasses said, glancing back at their leader. Am could already tell he was itching for a fight, but something told her that he wasn’t going to be involved.

 

“He’s right Julius. Everyone had to do it.” Troy said, taking a drag of the cigarette in his mouth.

“You ready for this Playa?” Julius looked down at her as she felt the group approach her, creating a circle that she couldn’t escape from. Sunglasses guy had backed off to watch, and a couple of the guys in hoodies approached her. They thought they could take her easily, and that made her even angrier. She wasn’t going to let them win, even if it killed her.

 

The first guy came at her, arms outstretched. He was uncoordinated, she could tell that much. Darting around him, she took the opportunity while he was confused to swing for him, catching him around the head. He grunted at the contact, not expecting her to actually land a hit.

 

And then she saw red.

 

When her anger subsided, the guys scattered around the churchyard were groaning and clutching various body parts. She felt a sick sense of pride in her handiwork, but she refused to let it show on her face. She kept her face set in a steely glare, daring anyone else to come forward to challenge her. The men who were still standing backed off quietly, not wanting to get their asses handed to them by a skinny kid. The guy in the sunglasses was watching her with interest, a pensive look on his face.

 

Troy came down the steps, a fresh cigarette in his mouth. He clasped hands with her in a half-hug as he spoke, but she barely heard his words with the amount of blood and adrenaline rushing through her body. She could have probably carried on fighting, but she had run out of people to take her anger out on. The man she recognised patted her on the shoulder.

 

“That’s some impressive shit, the only other Saint who kicked ass like that was Johnny.” He said, and pointed at the man in the sunglasses. Johnny leaned over and shrugged like it was nothing.

 

“Shit, took me half the time.” He boasted, looking proud of himself. She glanced over at the other man, and it suddenly hit her. He had been at the race the night she had left home. Him and that other woman had been discussing the man in the sunglasses, and now it looked like he had quickly climbed the ranks. This intrigued her. She knew that it wasn’t easy to become trusted by the leader of a gang, and the guys she used to know had never even met Ben King.

 

She should’ve been paying attention to what Julius had been saying, but she knew the drill. This wasn’t about running errands. She knew what they would be expecting of her, and she knew enough about the way gangs worked to know who in this group to go to if she needed work that would get her paid.

 

The group dispersed, and Julius headed inside the building. She watched Dex and Johnny hover around for a moment before Johnny’s phone rang. The two got in one of the cars parked across the road, and she watched as they drove out of sight. She needed to set something straight before this went any further. Glancing back at the group, she made her way up the steps.

 

The inside of the church was just as bad as the outside. The pews were overturned, and the graffiti was just as intricate on the inside walls as it was outside. Julius wasn’t anywhere to be seen, so she made her way across the room, stepping over debris as she went.

 

Hovering around the door to the back office, she almost chickened out. She had to speak to Julius before this went any further. She took a deep breath as she knocked on the door, and considered bolting before she heard Julius’ deep voice ask who was there from inside the room. There was no going back now. She opened the door and Julius looked up from the desk.

“Oh, Playa. It’s you. I thought it might be Troy.” He nodded at her to take a seat and moved over to the chair in front of him. She didn’t speak for a moment, and he raised an eyebrow at her silence. Her eyes darted around the room, and she admired the work that had gone to going into making it look like a real office, despite its illegal nature. She sighed and looked at Julius, who had been waiting for her to speak.

“I am not a boy.” She finally said, her voice shocking her. She’d barely spoken since what had happened; only using her voice out of necessity. Julius sat back in his chair, clearly considering her all over again. She saw his eyes widen as he realised his mistake. Before he could respond, she spoke again.

“I do not mind that you thought I was male.” Her voice had gone quiet, but Julius was listening intently, leaning forward to catch her words. “I would rather people believe that than for them to know the truth.”

“We all have a past, Playa. What you might’ve done before doesn’t matter now. You’re one of us, and you proved that today.” He finally said, and Am breathed a sigh of relief. She stood unsure of what else there was to say.

“I’ll give you Lin’s number, stick with her until you start wearing our colours. She can teach you a thing or two.” He said, writing something down on a piece of paper. “Go with Troy this afternoon, he’ll get you doing something.”

“Thank you, Julius.” She ducked her head as she spoke, and made her way out of the room as fast as she could.

 

Troy was hanging around the back of the church still, just watching the rest of the group. The other guys were drinking and smoking together, and she could hear their laughter as she jogged over to where Troy was stood. He nodded in greeting and she leaned against the wall with him.

“You bored kid?” He asked, looking down at her. She shrugged, unsure of what to say. He smiled at her- a genuine smile that surprised her. He wasn’t like the people she used to know. He seemed to actually care about her wellbeing in a way she wasn’t used to. She felt comfortable around him, a strange feeling after everything that had happened.

“Got a couple jobs that need doing this afternoon, think you’re ready for that?” He asked, playing with a cigarette packet he had fished out of his pocket. He offered her one, but she shook her head. After everything that was going on in her life at the minute, an addiction to cigarettes was something that she did not want to get involved in. He just slipped the packet back in place before considering her appearance for a second.

“Kid, you look like hell.” She looked down at the floor, trying to avoid his gaze as he spoke. He jerked his head toward his car. “Come on, I’ll buy you a coffee. You look like you need it.”


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Am's first outing with Troy starts with a cup of coffee and ends with a driving lesson.

Troy placed the coffee down on the table in front of her. Wrapping her hands around the paper cup, she was glad of the warmth of the drink. Troy slid into the seat opposite her, his own cup in hand.

 

“You ain’t from the Row, are you kid?” He asked, looking her over. She ducked her eyes under his gaze, not wanting him to look too closely at her. Realising he wanted an answer, she shook her head.

 

“Why you here?” She shrugged at his words. Why was she here? Why had she come to the Row? She could’ve gone anywhere, but for some reason she’d felt drawn here. It wasn’t just the low priced housing or the fact that people didn’t ask too many questions that had made her feel like this was somewhere she needed to be. There was something in the back of her mind that had told her that this was right. She tried not to think too hard about what that could mean.

 

“You ain’t that talkative, eh.” He took a sip of his coffee, leaning back in his chair. Picking up the packet of cigarettes he kept in his trouser pocket, he slowly opened it. He offered her one, and she shook her head. His behaviour was throwing her. He was too nice to be a gangster. She’d never met a single Vice King who had bought her coffee or willingly offered her one of their cigarettes without wanting something in return. She tried not to flinch when he stretched, but she couldn’t stop her body from reacting to his movement. If he noticed, he didn’t say anything.

 

“Julius said you was looking for work.” He brought the cigarette to his lips and lit it, inhaling deeply. “And we can’t let you out on the streets till we’re sure you got what it takes.”

 

Was that not what she had just done in that churchyard? Her hands were still aching from the fight, and she began to wonder if she had actually broken a knuckle now that the adrenaline had worn off and she could feel the pain. Clasping her hands together, she ran a finger over her hand underneath the table, assuring herself that it was bruised, not broken. Troy continued speaking while she checked.

 

“Got a couple things that need doin’ round the church. Stick with me today, kid. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

 

Taking her hands out from under the table, she took the cup again. Sipping it slowly, she looked around the shitty diner. The wallpaper was peeling away from the walls, greying around the edges. Almost every piece of furniture in the room was broken, or looked like it was breaking. The guy behind the counter looked bored out of his mind, occasionally serving a refill of coffee to one of the purple clad customers. No one was ordering food, but then again she probably wouldn’t trust anything that would come out of the greasy looking kitchen in the back.

 

“I got word that some Vice Kings are setting up shop a couple blocks away. Scared some of our dealers, now they won’t go near the place.” Troy said, finishing his cigarette and stubbing it out. He slowly breathed out the smoke, already looking like he wanted another one. She watched his hand inch toward the pack again, but he resisted the temptation. He instead chose to wrap his fingers around his cup of coffee, tapping them against the paper to occupy his hands.

 

“We need to swing by Friendly Fire and get you a piece first.” He said like it was the simplest thing in the world, and her eyes shot up to look at him. When she realised he was looking back at her, she lowered her head again, not able to look him in the eye. “Unless you’d prefer something like a bat. I dunno, some of the guys seem to think that they’re not gonna get themselves killed by using bats. Nah kid, on streets like these, you need a gun.”

 

He stood, swigging the dregs out of his cup. She did the same, assuming that they were leaving. He flashed her a small smile before shrugging his coat back on and heading toward the exit. She followed him, unsure of what to do next.

 

When they opened the door, she was struck with how noisy the Row was. She could hear the train rattling past, the ground shaking as it chugged along the route it had taken for as long as she could remember. She could still hear the commotion from the church- the Saints were still sat around sharing bottles out of brown bags, as if anybody in the area actually cared that they were breaking the law by drinking on the street. It was the middle of the day, and she was astounded by the amount of life that was in the area. There were people everywhere, something that she wasn’t used to from living in the suburbs. The people in that area didn’t speak to each other, but there were so many people here that it would be difficult not to know your neighbours. She had been sheltered for her whole life, and this was the first time she was seeing Stilwater from this perspective.

 

Troy looked back at her and she realised that he wanted her to follow him. Shoving her hands deep in her pockets, she jogged after him, keeping her head down. She shouldn’t have been surprised that there was a Friendly Fire just around the corner from the church, but somehow she had been expecting more of a walk.

 

She felt the shopkeeper’s eyes on her the minute she entered the shop. She didn’t have any ID that she could give him, but Troy poured over the displays without giving it any thought. When the man behind the counter didn’t say anything, Troy waved his hand for her to come and join him at the display. He pointed at a plain looking pistol and looked up at her for a response. She raised her eyebrows, unsure of why he wanted her opinion. She didn’t know anything about guns. The last time she had handled one; it had been beginner’s luck or something. She had no idea how she had managed to take out those men.

 

But she didn’t want to think about that.

 

Blinking, she realised Troy wanted some kind of response. She just stuck with shrugging again. He sighed in response and motioned for the guy to unlock the case for them. He didn’t look too much older than Am was, and his fading name tag read “Todd”. He narrowed his eyes at her, but Troy cleared his throat and he backed off slightly. Todd shuffled uncomfortably; remembering who Troy was as he fumbled for the key that lay on a chain at his side. Am looked away from the two of them, instead choosing to stare at her boots. They were scuffed already, small marks all over the brown leather. She tapped her foot against the wooden floor as Todd gave the gun over to Troy.

 

He weighed it up in his hand, passing it from his right to his left before turning to Am.

“What do you think, Kid?” He asked, holding it out for her to take. She hesitated, remembering the last time that she had held a gun. Troy seemed to sense her hesitation, so he put the gun down on the counter, reaching into his pocket for his wallet to distract Todd. Taking him to the other side of the room, Am waited for Troy to start counting out the bills before she put her hand on the cold metal of the barrel. She took a deep breath as she moved her hand, picking it up properly.

 

The memories of that night came rushing back to her, and she gripped the gun tighter in her hand, as images of men in yellow flashed before her eyes.

 

“Are you okay?” Troy asked from behind her, and she jumped out of her skin. She placed the gun back on the counter, and nodded her head slowly. She was okay. She was going to be okay.

 

“We gotta go clean up the Row, Kid.” He nodded toward the gun. “Grab that, so we can get movin’.”

 

She wrapped her hands around it again before shoving it in her pocket. He threw her a pack of bullets, and she looked at them for a moment, before putting them into her pocket too. He was already on his way out of the door when she realised that they were going to do this. She was going to kill somebody again today.

 

Troy was striding away from the shop with a purpose. She watched him for a moment before catching up with him. He seemed to know where he was going better than she would. He glanced back at her a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but he kept his mouth shut.

 

Eventually, she could see a group of men wearing yellow up ahead. Troy reached for his gun, and she realised that she had to do the same. There were only two guys but her heart still pounded inside her chest at the sight of them. They were just stood there on the street corner, not really doing much.

 

Troy looked at her, and she immediately knew what she had to do. Raising the gun, she pointed it at the men and shot.

 

The bullet ripped through the first man’s chest, the other man looking around in shock as he realised what was happening. The first man dropped to his knees, clutching at the wound that had appeared on his chest. The second man found his gun and turned to face where she was standing. Troy reached for his weapon, but Am had shot another bullet before he could even get it out of his pocket. The second man was winded from the hit to his arm, but he carried on toward the two of them. Troy finally was able to get his gun pointed, and he shot a few more times to bring the second guy down. Am looked up at him and walked to the first man that she had shot, stepping over the body of the man that Troy had brought down.

 

He was gasping for breath, looking up for help. His face looked familiar, and she realised that this was one of the many men that she had met before she had run away. She looked him in the eye, and he tried to claw his way away from her, but he was already too weak. She could leave him here on the street to drown in his own blood, but she wanted to look him in the eye while she took his life. It was nothing like she ever felt before. When she pulled the trigger, she felt powerful.

 

The man’s body fell to the floor with a thud, and Troy let out a whistle from behind her. She hadn’t heard him walking up to her, and she whipped around to make sure that it was just him.

 

“I wasn’t expecting that, Kid.” He said, obviously impressed. “Come on, we’ve got some work to do.”

 

They spent the rest of the afternoon driving around the Row in his car, Am in the passenger seat, spotting groups of yellow coated men hanging around the Row. Eventually, he drove them to Forgive and Forget. Getting out of the car, he dug through his wallet to find the money to pay the guy behind the counter. She watched as he handed it over and shoved his wallet back into his pocket, exchanging it for a cigarette. He lit it as he walked back over to the car, looking right at her.

 

“Hey man, now that everything’s taken care of, can you drop me off at Freckle Bitches? I’m jonesin’ for a fun bag.” He sounded exhausted, but Am didn’t move. She didn’t know how to drive.

 

“Kid? Are you listening?” He asked, walking around to her side of the car. “Do you even know how to drive?”

 

She shook her head, and he sighed. There was a slight smile on his lips as he brought the cigarette up to his mouth again. He dropped the keys into her hands and nodded his head toward to driver’s seat.

 

“Scoot over.” She looked up at him in shock. Was he seriously going to let her drive his car? She knew what men and cars were like, and Troy didn’t strike her as being someone who did this often. She somehow climbed over the gearstick and settled into the driver’s seat.

 

“Grab that handle there and pull the seat up a bit so your foot can hit the gas without reaching too much.” He said, leaning over and pointing at the handle beneath the seat. Doing as he told her, she moved the seat up a few inches, watching him as he readjusted her mirrors slightly.

 

“Right, now put it in drive.” He said, closing his door. “The stick. Move it to D.” He continued when he saw the look on confusion on her face.

 

She moved the stick and the car began to roll slightly. “Did you take your foot off the brake?” He laughed and she put her foot on one of the pedals. The car shot forward and Troy grabbed his seatbelt, pulling it around himself. When she realised what she had done, she put her foot on the other pedal and the car stopped sharply, throwing her back into her seat.

 

“Maybe I should’ve started with what the pedals are.” He mused, clicking the belt into place. Am did the same, keeping her foot firmly on the brake. “Try again.”

 

She looked up at him, but he was stubbing his cigarette out, rolling the window down to throw it away from the car. Tentatively, she touched the gas pedal again, and the car began to move. This time, it was less surprising, and Troy pointed at the direction of Freckle Bitches. It was only a little bit further down the road, so Am appreciated the practice, but the idea of driving on a real road already was terrifying.

 

She stopped at the junction, waiting for the road to clear before pulling out. She was being overly careful, but she would rather be careful than get them both killed after what they’d done today. He looked over at her and laughed.

 

“Don’t tell me you’re gonna be one of those nervous drivers.” He said, chuckling to himself. “Press the gas a little more, kid.”

 

She did as she was told, and the car finally moved at the right speed. The road was pretty straight, so she didn’t actually have to do much with the car. She didn’t bother to look for the turn signal as she pulled across the road. She saw Troy gripping the edges of his seat as cars honked at her for just pulling into the traffic. She ignored them and parked up in the car park, looking over at Troy.

 

“Not bad, kid. Definite room for improvement though. I’ll get Lin to call you later, Julius wants you two to meet for some reason.” He stepped out of the car, and she did the same, handing his keys back to him as he walked around the hood. “You okay getting home?”

 

She nodded and put her hands in the pockets of her hoodie. The cold metal of the gun shocked her as her fingers found it, reminding her of what they’d done earlier. He shot her a look of concern, but she shrugged it off. She was okay. She really was. He had been expecting her to break down, to throw up, to have some kind of reaction more than this blank expression on her face, but she wasn’t going to give him that. She didn’t feel that way, so she wouldn’t show that kind of emotion to him. He looked at the building, and then back to her, like he wanted to invite her in for something to eat, but she had already turned on her heel, heading back towards her shitty apartment. It was only a couple of blocks away from here; she doubted she would get into any trouble walking home.

 

When she finally reached her front door, she realised that it was slightly ajar. Reaching into her pocket, she pulled out her gun. Slowly opening the door, she crept into the apartment, not lowering her weapon until she was sure that she was alone.

 

Nothing had been taken. She could already see that. But suddenly she didn’t feel safe in her own home. Someone had been through all of her things, and they had put out some of her sports bras so that she knew that they knew that she was hiding something. Immediately grabbing a bag, she started throwing her clothes into it. She couldn’t stay here anymore.

 

Her phone rang out, the shrill noise of an incoming text shocking her out of her panic. She looked down, the words on the screen from a number that she didn’t recognise.

 

_Hey, it’s Lin. Julius told me that he wanted me to meet you. Are you free tonight?_

She looked at the text for a moment, blinking before she formed an answer.

 

_I need help._ She wrote, carefully spending time on each word. She didn’t know this woman, but this was more important than anything Julius wanted. While she knew it was kind of ridiculous now that she was armed to be so scared of what someone might do to her, she knew that she needed to get out of this apartment as soon as possible. If they knew she was a woman, they wouldn’t hesitate to inform the Vice Kings that there was someone they could take living next door to them.

 

_Someone has been in my apartment. I need somewhere to go._


End file.
